THE WERNER FAMILY

The Werner family is interesting because they came to St. Louis Park so early and there were so many of them.  Jake's civic activities make him particularly important.  This is a bare-bones account.  Michael Werner is the family's official chronicler and welcomes information from other researchers. 

Joseph Werner was born in Milwaukee in November 1854.  There he married Josephine Bartosch (born August 1861) on November 2, 1879. They were both of Bohemian extraction.  They came to St. Louis Park with the Esterly Manufacturing Co. in 1892. They had nine children:

GEORGE A. Werner was born in March 1880 in Milwaukee.  He opened a saloon on Gorham Street in St. Louis Park in about 1910, but was put out of business with prohibition. They say he disappeared out west. Michael Werner has a copper tray from the saloon!

JOSEPH D. Werner was born in October 1881 in Wisconsin.

JOHN E. (Windy) Werner was born on September 29, 1883 and came to the Park when he was nine.  He married Tillie Erickson on April 27, 1911.  They lived at 3750 Brunswick Ave. He was a moulder and worked for Minneapolis Moline and Monitor Drill.

CLARA L. Werner was born in August 1886 in Wisconsin.  Her married name was Boostram and she lived in Miami and Chicago.

JACOB "JAKE" A. Werner was born on July 19, 1887 in Whitewater, Wisconsin.  He married Alfie M. "Millie" Rice (born November 1887 in Whitewater, Wis., SLP class of 1905), on June 9, 1909. The lived at 6212 W. 35th Street. Jake had many accomplishments:

· Mayor 1922 – 1929
· 30 years – St. Louis Park volunteer fire department
· Investigator, Hennepin County Welfare Dept.
· Foreman in the foundry at Monitor Drill 1920
· Head of Park's War Dads Group, July 1944
· City street commissioner
· SLP Water Dept. at least 10 years – water registrar starting July 1942
· Instigator of water system with Herman Bolmgren and Pete Williams
· In 1942, he was appointed as registrar for the Village of St. Louis Park.

Jake was a member of the Odd Fellows and Union Church. He retired to Winter Park, Florida in 1957. He died on January 16, 1966, in Leesburg, Florida of a stroke.

Jake and Millie had a son, Willard Dale Werner, born July 6, 1910 in SLP, class of 1929. He married Geraldine Kramer (born 1915) in 1937. Willard died in North Carolina in 1967. Geraldine died in May 2001. Another son of Jake and Millie, Glen Joseph Werner, was born on December 20, 1913 and was killed in a cave-in. There was also daughter Loise "Dates" Werner, born July 1915.  She married Robert McCullers and lived in Florida.

FRANK P. Werner was born in August 1890.  He joined the fire department in March 1917. He worked for Monitor Drill, then for the Village of St. Louis Park. He and his wife Ruby lived at 6232 Oxford Street. Frank died in May 1950.  Their children were Lucille Fryer and Ruth Noon.  Ruth married Bruce Jensen on September 7, 1945 at Union Church.  

LUCY R. Werner was born in December 1892 in Wisconsin.  Her married name was Dow.

ANN B.Werner was born in July 1895 in Wisconsin.  She married Sigfried Lundin, a well-known bricklayer in St. Louis Park.

EDWARD J. Werner was born in December 1897 in St. Louis Park. He lived at 3354 Louisiana Ave. He joined the fire department in 1916. He was foreman of the refinery at the Creosote plant. He played semi pro football in Chicago until he punctured a lung. He had also been a boxer. He was a part-time Park policeman. Ed and Mabel Werner had a daughter Betty, class of 1945.  Her married name was Boljanovich and lived in South St. Paul.

On April 16, 1901, Josephine died of heart disease, leaving Joseph to care for four children under the age of 12. On January 12, 1904, Joseph died of tuberculosis, leaving the three oldest children to take care of the rest.

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.